History Manga / FightingFoodons

* FurryConfusion: There doesn't seem to be much of a dividing line between Foodons that are and aren't sapient. Even some of the humanoid ones can only talk in PokemonSpeak.

Many years ago, in a far-off kingdom, a king asked of his subjects: ''"Which is stronger, fried duck or stewed tofu?"'' Most of his servants thought he'd gone off the deep end, and summarily ignored him. But one mysterious stranger, bearing a magic card known as a "Meal Ticket," understood him completely... and with his magic, he brought the king's dinner to life. They became creatures known as Foodons, and to this day, aspiring chefs work their hardest at preparing the best meals... for battle.

Cut to the present day. Chase and his sister Kayla are the children of the legendary chef Jack. Unfortunately, it seems like his cooking skills don't necessarily run in the family. Now a group known as the Gluttons has imprisoned Jack due to his dangerous cooking abilities. After managing to bust his father out from their jail, Chase begins to realize that he has what it takes to be a great chef--so he sets out on his own adventure, even though the Gluttons, especially PerkyFemaleMinion Clawdia, vow revenge.

All of this would probably come across as a horrible rip-off of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''--if the show took itself with an ''iota'' of seriousness. ''Fighting Foodons'' deliberately plays everything--from the concept to the characters--with as much over-the-topness as possible, making the whole affair come off as parodic. While it was not originally a very big hit, the show gained a cult following over the years for being... well, for [[WidgetSeries being itself,]] pretty much. Not surprisingly, it uses (and abuses) pretty much every FoodTrope in the cookbook.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fighting_foodons.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''This is really mean cuisine!'']]

[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fightingfoodonslgns3.gif]]
[[caption-width-right:250:''This is really mean cuisine!'']]

* CulturalTranslation: The Asian foods represented by many foodons have been changed in the American localization to ones more familiar to American audiences. The entire premise of "pun names" is also introduced, which not only adds humor, but can sometimes leave a bit of ambiguity regarding what food, exactly, a foodon is supposed to represent. This practice has been controversial with some fans, however, given America is not exactly a country where Asian food is never eaten.

* {{Expy}}: Doughnasour and Beefsteak, of Godzilla. Boulderbroth is one of Gamera. And the Burger Brigade are an expy of the Franchise/PowerRangers.

%%* EverythingsSquishierWithCephalopods: Octopoison and Squid-vicous.

* {{Expy}}: Doughnasour and Beefsteak, of Godzilla. Boulderbroth is one of Gamera. And the Burger Brigade are an expy of the Series/PowerRangers.

* LethalJokeCharacter: For most of the series, Chase's first Foodon, the Burnt Meatballs, were said to be completely useless. That said, since they're Fire Resistant (due to already being burnt), they ended up becoming the final piece needed for Chase to fuse Festivus, his InfinityPlusOneSword.

* ButtMonkey: The Burnt Meatballs are so useless they're sorry about it, and constantly apologize for being worthless.

%%* OurMonstersAreWeird

* XMeetsY: Franchise/{{Pokemon}} meets WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}, pretty much.

* XMeetsY: Franchise/Pokemon meets WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}, pretty much.

* XMeetsY: Franchise/Pokemon meets WesternAnimation/Chowder, pretty much.

* TheObiWan: Oslo, who mentors Chase in the art of cooking.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Sgt. Marinara [[spoiler:was last seen on the sea-based Glutton food lab where Pie Tin's parents were held. After Chef Jack blew up the lab, no mention of him was made again.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Sgt. Marinara [[spoiler:was last seen on the sea-based Glutton food lab where Pie Tin's parents were held. After Chef Jack blew up the lab, no mention of him was made again. It is possible that Marinara died in the explosion, but considering American networks frown on the idea of death unless it serves as a life lesson, Marinara's, and to a lesser extent, Shrimp Stompura's fate remains ambiguous to the viewers]]

Originally known as ''Martial Arts Cooking Legend Bistro-Recipe'' in Japan, ''Fighting Foodons'' was one of Creator/FourKidsEntertainment[='s=] premiere anime on the Fox Box when they took over Creator/FoxKids. It also spawned a Japan-only video game based on the 2-volume original manga.

All of this would probably come across as a horrible rip-off of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''--if the show took itself with an ''iota'' of seriousness. However, it deliberately plays everything--from the concept to the characters--with as much over-the-topness as possible, making the whole affair come off as parodic. While it was not originally a very big hit, the show gained a cult following over the years for being... well, for [[WidgetSeries being itself,]] pretty much. Not surprisingly, it uses (and abuses) pretty much every FoodTrope in the cookbook.

Originally known as ''Martial Arts Cooking Legend Bistro-Recipe'' in Japan, it was one of Creator/FourKidsEntertainment[='s=] premiere anime on the Fox Box when they took over Creator/FoxKids. It also spawned a Japan-only video game based on the manga.

* CatchPhrase: "The kitchen... is... OPEN!"

%%* HongKongDub
* HurricaneOfPuns: Every single character and Foodon's name is a pun.

* {{Mon}}
* MultipleHeadCase: The Chowderheads; one talks like John F. Kennedy, the other talks like Joe Pesci. They are both so dysfunctional that they always end up fighting each other.

* OhCrap: in one episode Shrimp Stompura gives this when he tries to tackle Fried-Ricer, who grabs him and does a pile diver. As they come down there is a close up shot of both of them. Shrimp Stompura is waving his arms wildly and has inverted eyes.
%%* TheObiWan: Oslow.

* PokemonSpeak: On and off. Some Foodons, such as the Burnt Meatballs, are able to speak intermitenly, while others can only recite their names in classic Poke-style.
%%* PublicDomainSoundtrack: In the dub, the ending of "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4hs7vW8SV0 Orpheus in the Underworld]]" (Go to about the 7:30 mark to hear the familiar part.)

%%* QuirkyMiniBossSquad: King Gorgeous Gorge's Big 4

* ThereWasADoor:

* TurtlePower: The Foodon that transforms Cinnamonkey back to normal.

* ButtMonkey: The Burnt Meatballs are so useless they're sorry about it, and cosntantly apologize for being worthless.

%%* MagicFeather: "I'm afraid there's no such thing as a turbo-powered meal ticket..."